"I taught you to do this, remember?"

Sigyn's eyes flew open to see Hela's sorrowful grey eyes staring back at her, an expression of, not exactly guilt, but definitely remorse painted across her features.

"I remember." Sigyn nodded.

"Then why did you let me die?" Hela demanded, as fire began licking up her clothes.

"I didn't, I…" Sigyn began to protest. It was true. It wasn't her who had left Hela for dead.

Hela grimaced in pain as the flames burned brighter. "You… could've… saved me." She reached out with a flaming hand. "You still could."

"I can't, I can't!" Sigyn insisted, tears streaming down her face. "I don't know how!"

Hela released an ear-splitting scream, and…

And Sigyn woke with a start, her cheeks wet with tears. The room was silent. Loki lay in the bed next to her, as unconscious as ever, and Sigyn pulled her knees up to her chest and sobbed.

She couldn't do anything right. She hadn't saved Hela, she hadn't saved Loki, and she couldn't even parent the children correctly. They were all hurting, now, uprooted from their lives, and it was all her fault. Why had she thought she could take care of them? Narfi had punched Vali's face in, that morning, and Fenris had booby-trapped Gandhi's door, and when she thought they were insulting each other, and told them to cut it out, they would inform her that they always talked like that, and there was no offense on either side, and Sleipnir had nearly burned the house down, trying to make dinner, and…

She didn't know these kids.

That's what it boiled down to, really. And, Hela… Hela's death was on her hands. Burying her face in her hands, she released another miserable sob, before…

She felt something pulling at her hair.

With a shriek, she leapt up from the bed, and spun around, summoning a dagger to see what creature had crept into her bed and was touching her hair, only to see… Loki's crimson, glowing eyes were open, and he was staring at her with a slightly guilty, albeit weak smile.

"Loki?" Sigyn breathed in disbelief, creeping back onto the bed.

"You're crying…" He noticed, as Sigyn cupped his sunken cheek in her soft hand. "Why?"

"It's nothing." She smiled, attempting to contain her joy, as she wiped the salty tears from her own face. "You're awake!"

Loki stared at her blankly. "What is this place?" He wondered, his voice soft, and hoarse from years of disuse. However, it had a certain quality to it that seemed… younger than Sigyn remembered, even though his Jotun form made it rather more gravelly and deeper. He sounded innocent. Childish.

"Oh, right." Sigyn smiled, and gestured around. "This is the mansion in Malibu. Tony's mansion."

Loki stared blankly. "Tony?" he wondered, before his body was wracked with a fit of coughing. Sigyn worriedly propped him up with pillows, and summoned a glass of water for him, which he gratefully sipped.

There was a moment of silence, as the weight of his single word sunk in. "You don't remember," she stated.

Loki blinked slowly. "Not really… But I know you." He smiled hopefully, his emaciated fingers closing around hers. "You're… Sigyn."

She nodded, unsure of where to go with this new knowledge. "What do you remember?"

"Not much…" Loki wheezed sadly, glancing down a little. "As… Asgard. I remember Asgard…" He looked up hopefully, and Sigyn was stricken with how large his eyes seemed in his hollow, starved face. "Where's Thor?"

Sigyn cracked a smile. "I can text him tomorrow, and he'll be here as soon as he can, okay?"

"Okay…" Loki blinked sluggishly, again. "S-Sigyn?" He whispered, his eyes drifting shut, once more.

"Yeah?" Sigyn smiled.

He beamed softly, before closing his eyes, again. "Thank you… for saving me…" He coughed, once more, before slipping back to his sleep, his fingers still tightly wrapped around hers.

Sigyn was silent, staring at his once-more passive features in an attempt to convince herself that this was real, that she wasn't still dreaming. But the tiny, contented smile on Loki's face remained. It was real.

Swiftly, she pressed a pillow to her face, and screamed at the top of her lungs into it, giddy with excitement, and flopped down in glee onto her mattress. Only seconds ago, she had been disheartened, without hope, and miserable, but now… Now Loki had awoken. He didn't remember much, but that was to be expected. He'd help her. He was better with children, he could talk through what had gone on with Hela, and she'd no longer have to live with the guilt of potentially leaving him to die. Well… she still had potentially left him to die, but there was no more fear of his dying.

Almost hysterical with joy, she cuddled in to his side, her fingers still intertwined with his, and drifted back to sleep.

Meanwhile, on Niffleheim, Hela slumped wearily in her seat, and stared miserably at the empty courtyard before her. The landscape was barren, empty, and outside the ruins of the palace, the wind was bitterly cold. She'd done the right thing once, and that got her thrown into this place. She'd come back, and done the wrong thing, and that had her brothers trying to kill her. Apparently, they made play they'd forgotten her entirely. Except…

Except Sigyn.

She had "remembered". She'd vouched for Hela, but her husband and brother paid no heed. Fortunately, Hela was able to open a rift back to Niffleheim before she was burned alive, but now… she wondered.

Had they really forgotten her? Would she never have her place among them again? Was watermelon juice called melon water? No… focus, Hela. She needed a plan.

She was alone, now, her only companions long since haven gone to bed, and that was when she did her best thinking. She could open another rift into any of the other worlds, if she wanted to, but Loki and Thor would simply drop another fire demon on her. How could she get their attention? Prove to them that she wasn't the bad guy?

A deep part of her knew she was, indeed, a terrible person, but… she really, really didn't want to believe that. She could be better… couldn't she? She could prove to them she hadn't meant it. She could…

Could she?

With a sigh, Hela dropped her head into her hands. She could bribe them… no. If they really wanted her around, they would come find her. It was better that she stayed here, away from them, where she couldn't hurt them, anymore.

TheOnlyHuman.